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Sky Blue FC will play a preseason game at Asphalt Green on March 27th.

Organizations to Raise Funds for Inner-City Youth at Exhibition Match

Sky Blue FC of Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) has announced a partnership with Asphalt Green, a nonprofit dedicated to assisting individuals of all ages and backgrounds achieve health through a lifetime of sports and fitness. As part of the relationship, Sky Blue FC will play their first preseason game against the University of Virginia at Asphalt Green on Sunday, March 27th, with kickoff slated for 2:00 p.m.

“During the preseason, it’s always good to play against college teams,” Sky Blue FC head coach Jim Gabarra remarked. “It gives us a chance to evaluate players and also get in the games we need to prepare for our WPS season. It’s preferable to play preseason games at different sites rather than at your own stadium, and we are thankful to Asphalt Green for providing the chance to play one of those games on their award-winning campus. This offers us a great opportunity for engaging more of the New York City community.”

The preseason pairing with the University of Virginia will be open to the public, and the match will also be completely free of charge. In addition to the game, many other types of entertainment will be ongoing for everyone in attendance during match breaks. The game will take place just after the team returns from Turkey, where it will compete in the International Women’s Tournament of Champions. In addition to team partner LdB FC Malmö of Sweden, Sky Blue FC will be joining Russian side FK Energiya and Danish club Fortuna Hjørring in the competition.

“We are very grateful to Asphalt Green for the opportunity to play this preseason game at their facility,” Sky Blue FC General Manager Gioia DiFlumeri stated. “In addition to having an incredible complex, we are very impressed with the level of commitment that Asphalt Green maintains to the New York City community, on and offsite.”

In addition to its state-of-the-art AquaCenter, Fitness Center, fee-based programs and competitive teams, Asphalt Green serves more than 14,000 inner-city children through its three core Community Programs: Waterproofing (which teaches children to swim at no cost), Recess Enhancement (which reduces bullying through constructive recess periods at low-income schools), and their Community Sports Leagues (which offer a league experience to those who cannot afford to join club teams).

“We are thrilled to have both professional and collegiate soccer stars play on our field, giving our young soccer players an opportunity to see what their futures in competitive sports could look like,” said Carol Tweedy, Asphalt Green Executive Director. “Asphalt Green is dedicated to providing health and fitness opportunities to inner-city youth, so we will be using the time to raise awareness for our free Community Programs.”